How To Partially Encapsulate a Crawlspace | Lowe’s Pro How-To

this demonstration is intended for professionals only homeowners should not attempt these projects without first consulting a licensed professional step 1 diagnosis the first step in any crawlspace remediation project is to do a walk-through of the property and diagnose the problem if you're able to get a digital diagram of the floor plan from the homeowner or a footprint of the house and land information through GIS before arriving on the property this will allow you to be sure that you're inspecting all potential problem areas when diagnosing the issues on site begin the inspection process by walking around the outside of the home and identifying any drainage issues like downspouts emptying and draining into the foundation of the home or any grading issues that may cause excessive water to enter the foundation after identifying any issues around the outside of the house go underneath the house and continue the evaluation it's best to start where the homeowner thinks the problem is and then work your way to the rest of the crawlspace from there take moisture readings in all corners and the center of the crawlspace to accurately gauge the overall moisture in the crawlspace take detailed notes of all problems step 2 create remediation plan now that you've diagnosed the problems create a detailed remediation plan this will be what you present to the homeowner and will also be your guide as to what materials will be necessary to complete the remediation spending the time to plan and create a proper remediation strategy in the beginning will save you time and money throughout the job now is also the time to contact an electrician to install a grounded GFCI in the crawl space to power a dehumidifier if needed do this before the remediation to guarantee there is power for work lights and a power any tools needed to complete the remediation it also lessens the number of people who will need to access the crawl space after the moisture has been installed reducing the possibility of the poly being torn if possible have the GFCI installed directly to the main panel step 3 repair structural elements if the project requires it the next step is to remove and replace any rotten wood in the crawlspace this includes girders floor joists band joists and any rotten portions of the subfloor make sure to provide any necessary support when replacing portions of rotten wood until new lumber can be properly sistered into place step 4 remove debris now that the structural elements of the house have been repaired it's time to clean out any debris that has been left in the crawlspace from the original construction previous repairs or by the homeowner step 5 fog crawlspace moist environments generate fungal growth and over time that fungus can lead to mold growth destroying the fungus before that happens is crucial to kill off the fungus you'll need to fog the crawlspace this is best done with a cold fogger machine filled with fungicide be sure to follow specific manufacturer's instructions if there is any remaining fungus remove it using a nylon brush and soap and water or a chemical cleaner step 6 spray fungicide apply a fungus and mold prevention solution to all exposed wood using a sprayer adding a dye to the solution will allow you to make sure that you have even coverage and haven't missed any spots step 7 seal vents using 1-inch are 5 X PS rigid foam board measure and cut pieces to fill any vents to the exterior of the house once the XPS board has been fit into place covering the vents use a spray foam to seal around all of the edges step 8 spray foam insulation use a spray foam insulation in each band joist Bay between floor joists and along the inside perimeter of the home this creates a vapor barrier and increases the r-value of the crawlspace insulation and helps keep the temperature outside from Impact the temperature inside of the crawlspace be sure to read all manufacturer's instructions before using use only as directed step 9 remove old moisture barrier after the repair and mitigation work inside the crawlspace is complete remove the old moisture barrier if there is one and create a level surface area so you'll be able to properly install the new moisture barrier step 10 install moisture barrier for a partial encapsulation like this one start by wrapping the base of all piers in the crawlspace with pieces of the moisture barrier go at least four inches above the ground and tape tightly around the piers cut relief slits into the moisture barrier at the bottom so it'll sit flat against the ground for pipes cut out a hole in a piece of the moisture barrier for the pipe to fit through and then tightly tape it around the pipe once you've finished this detail work line the entire crawlspace with the moisture barrier allow the moisture barrier to come up along each wall at least four inches above the ground tightly tape the moisture barrier to the wall fold corners and tape flat keep the moisture barrier flat against the ground and overlap each seam by at least six inches and seal with tape step 11 install dehumidifier make sure to use a level when installing the dehumidifier so that accumulated moisture flows correctly to the pump drill a small hole in the foundation below the band seal for the pump drainage hose to reach the outside to drain properly securely attach the condensate pump to the dehumidifier and attach the drainage hose to the condensate pump run an uninsulated duct from the exhaust on the dehumidifier to the tightest area of the crawlspace in order to create a convective loop of dry air and moist air inside the crawlspace [Music] step 12 monitor periodically in order to check that the condensate pump and dehumidifier are working properly that the duct hasn't been moved and that the moisture barrier hasn't been disrupted

Channel: Lowe's Home Improvement

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Keywords: how-to, how to, lowe's, lowes, lowe's pro, lowes pro, how to encapsulate a crawl space, how to partially encapsulate a crawlspace, how to crawlspace, crawlspace encapsulation, encapsulating a crawlspace, encapsulate crawl space, crawl space encapsulation, pro how to, pro how-to, moisture mitigation, moisture mitigation in crawlspace, how to fix a crawlspace, how to fix a crawl space, fixing a crawlspace, fixing a crawl space, crawlspace fix

Id: c6_2tbCIq2M

Length: 6min 27sec (387 seconds)

Published: Wed Aug 07 2019